Chapter Text
Onism~ the awareness of how little of the world we experience
I'm supposed to be dead.
Waves rushed over him only to be drawn back to the ocean. The moon was the only source of light. Ragged breaths escaped his lungs as he lay face first in the blood soaked sand. Miniscule rocks caked his body and wounds, but he was too exhausted to move. He had welcomed death with open arms, so why was he here?
Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to move, but he was too drained to react. He could hear chatter and everyday commotion nearby (when was the last time he had heard anything but battle?) He had never been able to sense things as well as Naruto or his sensei, but he was overwhelmed with how much life he could feel around him. Life. How strange a thought that was. The war had wiped everything out. Living things were scarce in numbers. The allied Shinobi nations had dwindled down to double digits before he died.
He was sure that he had been killed, so he had no idea why or where he could be. As far as he knew there was nowhere left with life.
He decided that he would have to figure that out once he found somewhere safe to recover his chakra and from his wounds. His abdomen, among other injuries, was bleeding profusely from where Obito had stabbed him. He mustered up his remaining strength and slowly, painfully, pulled himself to his feet. The first thing he noticed was that he was shorter than he had been in years. He lifted a much too small hand in front of his face, and stared in horror. His clothes hung off of him pooling on the ground while his hiate, previously located diagonally across his head, hung around his neck. His body couldn't be older than ten! Kakashi quickly searched his body. He still had his sharingan, an Anbu tattoo on his shoulder, and every scar he had ever received. Nothing was making any sense!
Pain shot through him. He balled up some of the excess fabric and pressed it into his stab wound. He needed to take care of that as soon as possible. Kakashi looked around in a panic. Nothing looked familiar. He stumbled across the beach to a set of steps parallel to the water. His drenched clothes only serving as burdensome weights. There were so many sounds. He could hear people and something mechanical. It felt as though there was a buzz of electricity in the air. He struggled to climb the steps. Once he got to the top of the wooden staircase he stared at the scene in front of him in shock.
Large metal boxes with people inside rolled down the roads. Buildings towered over the city. They must be three times the height of the Hokage tower! Lights flashed at him from every direction. Some of the people, at least that's what he thought they were, had animal heads similar to Kisame or rainbow colored skin. Kakashi would have taken a step back if he had not been on a ledge. There were so many people! No matter how unusual they might appear, they were still human. He started walking towards the village, sticking to the shadows. He rounded into a secluded alley. A cat scurried out of the passageway after seeing him approach.
Pain continued to shoot throughout his body. He needed to get somewhere safe. He climbed on top of a dumpster that resided against the wall of a building about halfway through the alley, trying his best to ignore his injuries. He launched himself onto the rooftop and immediately regretted doing so. He couldn't stop the small gasp of pain that escaped from his mouth. He gripped his side tightly and further balled the excess fabric of his clothes.
Upon looking up, he was awestruck. He was sure that this was the largest village he had ever seen. It stretched beyond the horizon and towered over the streets. Despite the sheer incredibility of it all, he knew he couldn’t idle. There would be plenty of time to explore later, but right now he needed to find somewhere to hide and treat his wounds. Gray eyes scrutinized their surroundings looking for the perfect refuge. He spotted an alcove tucked away in shadows three roofs over. It was perfect!
He used every ounce of willpower he could muster up to make himself move. Teeth gritted in pain, Kakashi slowly hobbled his way across the buildings. He increased the pressure on his injury as he went. The distance from the alcove seemed to grow with each step he took. His vision danced with dark blotches. No doubt a direct result of pain, blood loss, and exhaustion. He blearily noted a dark figure hastily making its way across rooftops heading out of sight. If the individual had noticed him they hadn’t given any indication or paid him any mind.
Each roof presented new challenges for the disoriented ninja. Odds and ends strewn across the surfaces serving as great obstacles. A hose, a pot, a bag filled with packaged dirt, a small mechanical box with two thin poles sticking out at slight diagonals opposite each other from the top. Had he been in a better state of mind he might feel embarrassed that such simple objects were causing him any difficulty. He passed what he thought might have been a greenhouse- a perfect place to get food he noted for later- and kept walking. He decidedly hated having to jump the small distance between the buildings. He stumbled and nearly fell as he cleared the last one. He thought about all he would need to do when morning came and felt greatly overwhelmed. There was so much to do and he was too tired to do any of it.
Great relief surged through Kakashi as the alcove came into reach. He stumbled once again, landing on the floor, and crawled the rest of the short distance to his makeshift shelter. He collapsed into a small ball and took a moment to breathe. His hands searched his pockets and retrieved a small scroll. He unrolled it and unsealed a small but serviceable first aid kit. Kakashi pulled the excess fabric of his pant leg up and began tearing it into strips of varying sizes. Rolling the largest strip into a ball, Kakashi stuffed it into his mouth for fear of making any more noise than he already had. He began disinfecting and stitching his wound. He finished bandaging his injury and started setting up a quick genjutsu and trap to keep himself safe and hidden from prying eyes. Once he was satisfied with his work Kakashi finally relaxed. Sleep took him quickly.